Well, here we go..................

no turning back now.

Well this is it.............

my last posting for a while.

Bright and early tomorrow I will be going into hospital for my op. I admit I'm getting a bit jittery now and I sure as hell will be tomorrow!

Isn't it strange than something that has caused so much pain for so long suddenly stops hurting as soon as the time arrives to have it mended! What's that all about?

I got MWM to take a photograph of my knees yesterday so I can do 'before' and 'after' photographs - hopefully it will show improvements. At the moment my bad leg looks like a donkey's hind leg - and no I'm not joking. My consultant promised me that the operation will straighten my leg and take all the pain away, what more could I ask for?

I won't have access to a computer whilst in hospital so I will keep a written diary of my progress and post it all up once I get home, which hopefully will be round about next Friday.

Wish me luck, don't say break a leg for goodness sake!

Reminiscing.........................

I’ve been to visit my 82 year old father today and we got to reminiscing as we usually do.

My father thinks television is the greatest invention of all time and still wonders, every day, at the moving pictures that come into his lounge. This got me thinking of the things we take for granted like electricity, gas central heating, hot running water – just the basics really of everyday living.

I remember that until I was 12 years old we lived in a two up, two down house with only cold running water, gas lights, an open coal fire and a toilet in the back yard. We didn’t have a telephone or a television. We were lucky though we did have a radio. We had no bathroom, just a tin bath that my mother or father would fill after boiling endless kettles and pans of hot water on the cooker. My two brothers and I would take it in turns to have a bath in front of the coal fire. Our toys were simple – I can remember making dollies out of pipe-cleaners, playing with my whip and top and, in summer, sitting on the kerbside in our street popping pitch bubbles in the road with a lollipop stick. That was when English summers were really hot, hot enough to make the pitch bubble! We didn’t have a garden but I did have a swing – a piece of rope that I tied onto the lamp-post at the end of the street so I could swing round and back again. My Dad made us a cart out of an orange crate, which we had begged from the greengrocer, and some wheels he took off an old pram – how fast we went down the hill on that! We played skipping and two balls up against the wall, hide and seek and tag. There was a river nearby where we lived and we’d spend hours skimming stones, unfortunately it wasn’t very clean so we couldn’t swim in it but it was like the countryside to us. Oh, and on my 11th birthday my father came home from work with a bicycle for me! Granted it was second hand but I thought it was the most wonderful present ever. I think I still have the scars from my attempts at learning to ride it. I can just imagine what my grandchildren would think of having to live like that!

When I was twelve we moved to a brand new house about 12 miles away. Not because my parents had suddenly come into money, but because of the slum clearance programme run by the council, which meant that our house was to be demolished so therefore we got a new one. This meant that we would be living in absolute luxury compared to what we had been used to. We had three big bedrooms, a bathroom, a separate toilet, a large lounge and a fitted kitchen, hot and cold running water and a gas fire. No central heating mind but still luxurious. We also had a huge garden back and front. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

I sometimes tell Sam (our eldest grandson at 7) about all this and he looks at me as if I have just landed in a spaceship! Most children today have everything they ever dream of; they are so lucky in that respect. But, I can’t help feeling that because things come to them so easily they never really appreciate what they have. I am happy for my grandchildren that they don’t have to make do and mend like I had to, I just wish they would learn to make their own entertainment sometimes instead of relying on the television, or the X box or some other ‘game’ that costs as much as it would have taken my Mother to feed us for a year. When the grandchildren come to visit I like to play simple games with them – making things with plasticine, drawing pictures, building bricks or preferably running round the garden – not that I can run much these days.

I sound like a moaning old biddy now don’t I?

Oh well I guess I am a little, but it does no harm to remember your roots now and again – it makes you appreciate what you’ve got a whole lot more.

Oh someone shoot me before I get old!!!!!!

Should I be worried?..............

As my regular readers will be aware I am having my knee replacement operation on Monday - Oooooer!

Having read the following two articles of news I'm wondering if I should be worried.....

Surgeons fight mid-op
An operation in a Belgrade hospital was disrupted when two surgeons started fighting in the operating theatre.
The surgeons stormed out of the room and carried on fighting outside, reports the daily Politika newspaper.
Surgeon Spasoje Radulovic was operating when his colleague Dragan Vukanic entered and made a remark that started a quarrel, said the anaesthesiologist on duty.
"At one moment Vukanic pulled the ear of the operating doctor, slapped him in the face and walked out," she said.
Radulovic followed and an all-out fight ensued, resulting in bruises, a split lip, loose teeth and a fractured finger.
The operation was completed successfully by the attending assistant doctor.

Surgeons' lame excuse
Surgeons trying to correct the limp of a five-year-old boy in China has apologised after lengthening the wrong leg.
They say the mistake was down to the boy being anaesthetised on his back but then operated on while lying on his stomach.
Xiangya Second Hospital in Changsha city operated on Miao Mingming whose right leg is shorter than his left.
"The doctor suggested surgery to extend the withered tendon, and we agreed. But when Mingming came out of the operating room, I found his left leg was in the cast," complained his father.
The hospital has admitted its mistake and promised to take full responsibility, reports Xinhua News.
Chief doctor Zhao said: "I am very sorry about what happened. Before the surgery, the patient was lying on his back and received full anaesthesia, and then the surgery was done with the patient lying on his stomach."
Now Mingming has to undergo two more operations, one to extend the right leg, the other to shorten the extended left leg.

At least they didn't happen in England!

This made me laugh..............

Great-granny's sweeteners spark drugs probe
Police questioned a great-grandmother about drugs after they found artificial sweeteners in her purse.
Former magistrate Marilyn Gordon, 72, from South Shields, was quizzed after officers became suspicious.
They were also suspicious about credit card fraud when they found the Sunday school teacher was carrying a card in someone else's name.
Her daughter Fiona Smith, 44, told the Sunday Sun her mother went to the police station after losing her purse while shopping in South Shields.
She said: "To her surprise someone had been kind enough to hand it in to lost property - but that was when her trouble began."
Officers began to ask her about the white tablets in her purse.
Ms Smith added: "My mother told me the police conducted a test on the tablets to see if they were drugs, and apparently, they reckoned it proved positive for cocaine."
The police then began to quiz her about the bank card which was not in her name.
"She has a card to my savings account because she sometimes makes deposits for me," Ms Smith said.
"It was only when she started to insist the white tablets were sweeteners that the police relented and decided to do another test."
A spokesman for South Shields police said: "Once the true situation was established, the lady left the police station."

I bet this was her response...............

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What temperament are you?............

I found this here, thanks aka_nik. Try it out on the link below. This is my result...........

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

What Temperment Are You?

Just a quickie..........

Not got much time tonight but just had to do this quickie as I am in a state of shock.

My boss, who I have been having a battle with for the past 12 months came to my desk this afternoon and wished me good luck for my operation on Monday! I was absolutely gobsmacked and I'm sure there's an ulterior motive there somewhere. Call me cynical......................... she is a first class

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?.....

According to the news today 1 in 10 women are unhappy with their body and would consider plastic surgery.

I'm not unhappy with the way I look, apart from being overweight and everything is heading south, but then not being able to exercise for years because of the problem with my knee hasn't helped. But, would I consider plastic surgery? Well I wouldn't go into debt to pay for it, but if I won a substantial amount of money then yes I would probably go for it. Nothing too drastic - an eye lift, a mini face lift, maybe a tummy tuck, a bit of liposuction, a hollywood smile. I wouldn't have a boob job or collagen in my lips but then my boobs are good and I have a full cupid's bow. What I would consider reasonable may horrify another, it's all a matter of personal choice isn't it?

My Wonderful Man tells me constantly that I'm gorgeous - must make an appointment at the opticians for him!

Anyway as my luck on the lottery is non-existent the chance of me being surgically enhanced is nil so I'll carry on doing the face exercises and slathering on the cream.

The Year of the Ox...............

As it's Chinese New Year I thought I'd find out what sign I was born under and it turns out I was born under the sign of the Ox.

Find yours here http://www.rainfall.com/horoscop/chinese.htm

Here's what it says about my sign

Oxes may appear docile, but watch out! They also have quite a temper. They are extremely determined and work tirelessly to get what they want. Step by step and piece by piece, they move steadily toward their goals. People born under the sign of the Ox are dependable and stick to a routine until the job is done. They are fair-minded and good listeners, but they can also be extremely stubborn.
Because of their trustworthy character, Oxes will often hold positions of authority and responsibility. They always get ahead in the world. They must be careful not to become slaves to their jobs or profession. Oxes can be forceful leaders and eloquent speakers when the occasion arises. In troubled times they will have great presence of mind and will never be intimidated. They are very proud souls. Oxes are systematic and respect traditions. They mistrust things they don't understand,and they hate loose ends.They can also be vulnerable in romance. They are so straightforward that they don't relate to the love games others play. Since it takes a long time to develop intimate relationships, Oxes like long courtships. Once they have made up their minds, they are loyal and giving-almost to a fault.
Ox people are neat and punctual, honest and hard working. Oxes make ideal mates since they always do more than their share. They have a long memory and remember the little details others miss. Once Oxes are angry with you, they will carry their grievance a long way. When they are unhappy or upset, they will bury themselves in their work until they feel better. Oxes always pay their debts. If they owe you anything, they will never forgive themselves until the debt is paid. They always remember a favor, and though they don't use flowery words,they will show their appreciation in other ways. Their actions speak louder than words.
When Oxes lose their temper, they really lose it! There will be no reasoning with them, so get out of their way until they cool off. Always appeal to the head rather than to the heart of the Oxes. They quickly understand the pros and cons to the situation. Oxes seldom get sick and are not tolerant of weaker people. They should learn how to relax more.
Oxes hate to ask for help. If it takes them twice as long to accomplish something, they still prefer working alone. They want things to last and build them with care. Oxes love their home and family and provide well for them. They do well at long term investments with stability and firm foundations. They are definitely not gamblers. Oxes earn their success by their own merits and don't expect any free rides.

Oooer, that's scarily accurate!

Crispy Duck..............

We went to a newly opened Chinese Restaurant last night to celebrate my friend's birthday. There were six of us (3 couples), two of which had never been to a Chinese Restaurant before, although they are both 60+! I know, unbelievable isn't it?

It's not so long ago we introduced this couple to the delights of Indian Cuisine, which they now really enjoy so they trusted enough to take part in a Chinese Banquet. Suffice to say they are now hooked on Crispy Duck, pancakes and Ho Sin Sauce!

Today we are going out for luch, just to a local eatery, nothing special probably just a traditional sunday lunch but at 3p.m. we have a party to go to.

Our little Gracie was one year old on Thursday and today she's having a birthday party. I can't believe she is one already, tempus fugit and all that. Then, as it I haven't enjoyed myself enough this week, we are going out tonight to our local - gosh it's lucky I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday! I'm making the most of what time I have left before my op because I envisage being laid up for some weeks afterwards - do you blame me? I've just been looking at my countdown clock and can't believe that 3 days have past already since I put it up! How scary is that?

Anyway enough, I have to decide what to wear for lunch and more importantly which shoes can I walk in with my hoppy leg? I have quite a collection of unsuitable shoes - but that's another story!

Dinosaurs...........

Surprise, surprise, Sam and I didn't get to watch ROBOTS last night, we watched DINOSAURS instead. Well we didn't actually watch all of it because Sam fell asleep about 20 minutes into the DVD! Aw bless!.

Sam sleeps really well, he didn't wake until 8.30am and I think I slept all night too - well I don't remember looking at the clock until 8am this morning - so that's a first for a long time.

Looking forward to seeing all the grandchildren together this afternoon - even if it is chaotic!

Lazy Week......

I'm having a lazy week this week. I have been on holiday from work this week and apart from one or two necessary chores I have done nothing. Well I say 'done nothing' but in fact I have achieved a lot by setting up this blog and thereby improved my computer skills.

No-one told me how compulsive blogging would become. I find myself thinking 'what can I put on my blog?' when I'm having trouble sleeping. MWM has become a blog widower! Mind you it has given him lots of time to 'play' his racing games on the XBox so he's not complaining overmuch.

We will see our grandchildren this afternoon - always something to look forward to. Our eldest grandson, Sam, will stay with us tonight. He has stayed with us every other Friday since he was six weeks old, he is now 7 years old. He always brings a DVD for us to watch in bed after he has had his bath. He has lots of DVDs but tends to bring the same ones over and over again. I think we have watched ROBOTS about 10 times now! He loves staying here because it means he has time on his own which he doesn't often get at home because he has a younger brother and sister, so staying here is his quiet time. He gets time on his own to be creative with the Lego and Mechano.

Tomorrow is our Manic day! Sam's brother and sister, Harry and Gracie, will arrive after lunch and we pile them all into the car and take them to see my father, 'Big Granddad'. My other two grandsons, Kai and Nate, will arrive at 'Big Granddad's' round about the same time and we will spend an hour watching them play together, which is a noisy affair to say the least. My father enjoys having the children there so much and doesn't mind the noise and disruption one little bit, which is remarkable as he's 82!

Oh Happy Days!

Buddy, Tequila and Gracie..... The Rotties

Countdown..........

I had such a bad night last night with the pain in my knee. I just couldn't get to sleep, as wherever I moved my leg it just wasn't comfortable. I got up at 2.15 a.m. and took more painkillers with a glass of warm milk then went back to bed. The last time I looked at the clock it was 4.15 a.m., then I suppose I must have dropped off because the clock then said 8.30 a.m. So, as you can imagine I am completely Kn..........red today!

I have put a countdown clock on my blog to remind me that I haven't got long to wait now until my operation.

I found a really interesting interactive site whilst doing some research on knee replacement surgery. Take a look, it's really good.

http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/

You can also take part in hip replacement surgery on the same site for anyone who's interested - Queenie?

Perfect Love........

I have just found this Welsh Proverb (here) and just had to steal it because it is so true.

“Perfect love sometimes does not come until gandchildren are born.”

Valentine's Day

Love, that's what today is all about!

MWM and I don't celebrate the day as such, we buy each other a card but no gift. He tells me every day that he loves me, and I him, that means more than anything.

In the words of the Sandie Shaw hit "LONG LIVE LOVE"!

Holidays.......

We usually have our annual holiday booked by now but, as I am waiting for major surgery and do not know when I will be fit to travel, we haven't been able to book anything. The first time I went abroad was in 1984 and it was so wonderful that I almost did a Shirley Valentine! This got me thinking of all the wonderful places we've visited and MWM and I spent an hour last night trying to list them all, so here goes. Click on the resort name for more information...

1984 Corfu
Kavos - my first experience abroad and still rated at the top of our list.
1986 Kos
Tigaki - a fun holiday with family and friends
1988 Turkey
Kusadasi - sightseeing Ephesus, Pamukala
1989 Spain
Fuengirola - sightseeing Granada, The Alhambra Palace, Gibraltar
1990, 1991, 1992 Turkey
Calis Beach -1990 year I met my dearest friend there, we enjoyed it so much we went back for another two years! Sightseeing - Saklikent, island hopping.
1993 Bali & Australia
Four nights in Bali, Sanur Beach - lots of sighseeing - paddy fields, monkey forest and we were invited to a funeral!
Two weeks in Sydney - sightseeing - The Blue Mountains, Sydney Old Town, Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Sydney Opera House
1994 Turkey
Calis Beach - Back to meet up with old friends
1997 Thailand
Four nights in Bankok - what an experience. Sightseeing - Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, the temples.
Week in Pattaya - sunbathing.
1998 Zakynthos
Kalamaki - holiday with eldest son and daughter-in-law - great fun
1999/2000 Sri Lanka & The Maldives
The year of our Silver Wedding celebration and the Millenium
Christmas in Sri Lanka - sightseeing - the elephant orphanage. I had a ride on an elephant on the beach and we watched locals performing the Nativity round the pool!
New Year in the Maldives, Olhuveli View - nothing to do all day but sunbathe, snorkel, sleep, read, eat, drink - how fabulous is that?
2000 Egypt
One week Nile Cruise - sightseeing all the temples
One week in Luxor - relaxing
2001 Tenerife
Puerta de la Cruz - relaxing, sightseeing - Mount Teide
2002 Mediteranean Cruise
One week cruising calling at - Mahon, Naples, Corsica, Sicily, Toulon.
One week in Majorca relaxing
2003 Rhodes
Kalathos- relaxing
Also a weekend break in Dublin, Ireland - fantastic!
2004 Cyprus
Protaras - Jeep Safari - Great fun.
2005 Cyprus
Bellapais - sightseeing - Famagusta, Nicosia.
Also a weekend break in Cork, Ireland - sightseeing - The Blarney Stone - which I kissed,though there are some who would say I didn't need to!
2006 Turkey
Gocek - totally relaxing


I'm sure we must have missed some out but that's all we can think of at the moment.

Here's me in the Maldives - are you jealous?


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Green Rain - how tranquil is this?

A local attraction......

Did I tell you that I live in Lancashire? Well I do, and one of our biggest local attractions is the East Lancs Railway. My Wonderful Man is a bit of an anorak where steam trains are concerned - he doesn't go trainspotting exactly, but he does take lots of photographs of steam engines. We are lucky enough (for him) to live quite near to the ELR line running from Rawtenstall to Heywood. This means in summer (and sometimes winter) we hop (hop being the operative word for me at the moment!) on the train and spend the afternoon at Bury Station at the Trackside Bar. Not very exciting I hear you say but the Trackside sell a fantastic array of real ales! Ah, now I've got your attention. They also do good food, so we have lunch and then whilst MWM is busy photographing the engines I sit on the platform sampling the real ales and people watching.
Sometimes, for a change, we get off the train at Ramsbottom and have lunch in the Railway Inn opposite the station. They do good food and have a lovely decking area outside which is ideal in summer for whiling away the hours before the last train back. There's also lots of lovely little shops in Ramsbottom and a Sunday market.

ELR puts on lots of attractions, one of our favourites is the Santa Special train which runs regularly at weekends in the run up to Christmas. It's fantastic for children and the adults enjoy it too. Last year we took three of our grandsons - Sam (7), Kai (3) and Harry (3), Sam has been every year since he was 2, it was Kai's second time and Harry's first. Next Christmas we will probably take our other two grandchildren Gracie Jean (1) and Nate (1) - that should be fun we'll have to rope them together!! :) The staff of ELR go to a lot of trouble decorating the train and the station and even dressing themselves up as elves, snowmen, fairies etc. There is also a small brass band walking up and down the train playing Christmas Carols which is great fun. Then of course the highlight of the trip is the appearance of Santa who gives each child a quite substantial present. All adults receive a little goodie bag containing a small bottle of sherry and a mince pie. I can thoroughly recommend it for anyone with children/grandchildren. Follow the link to see some photos.

http://www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk/php/photoindex.php?collection=Santa%20Specials&path=photos_Santa_Specials

Another attraction I would recommend is the1940s Wartime Weekend. This takes place at the end of May and features military re-enactments, wartime trooptrains, military & civilian stalls, military vehicles etc etc. Coach loads of people arrive from far and wide all dressed in 1940's garb, which makes perfect people watching. They even bring their children dressed in typical 1940's clothes sporting gas masks! It's a great atmosphere and a great day out which doesn't cost a fortune.

Here's a couple of photo's showing some of the outfits people wear......

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If you want to see more of what ELR have to offer follow the link...

http://www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk/index2.php

This is lottie - isn't she gorgeous!
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My first entry....

This is my very first entry on my blog. What to write? Hmmmm.......

My blogname 'Akelamalu' is my Hawaian name. No, I'm not Hawaian I got the name from this link
www.blogthings.com/hawaiannamegenerator/

thought it was cool so used it as I couldn't think of a name myself.

I thought I'd start this blog to keep track of my progress as I'm about to have knee replacement surgery in the very near future. Yes I'm scared but I really have so much trouble walking these days that not having the surgery is not an option. I have a date for my op - 26th February 2007. This is the second date I've had. I should have been having the surgery on 22nd January but my surgeon had an emergency which put his operating list all to cock, and then he was going on holiday. The good thing is that he particularly wants to do my procedure himself so asked me to wait until he got back off holiday. Well what could I say - better to wait for the main man than have his junior practice on me eh?

I'm feeling OK at the moment but have another two weeks yet to get really hot and bothered about it. Don't know what I'll be like on the morning of the 26th - a nervous wreck I would imagine.

Just spent a lovely afternoon making a Sunday Roast for one of my boys, his partner and their two boys. Had a great time playing with plasticine with Kai (the eldest of the two at almost 3 years old), and cuddling Nate (almost one year old). My son helped me set up the blog and they've just gone home so I thought I'd do my first entry.

They have three Rotweillers, Buddy, Tequila and Gracie. Gracie has gone back to the kennels where they got her from to have puppies. She was pregnant when they bought her so the puppies belong to the kennels. Whilst Gracie is away they are fostering an 11 month old Dogue de Bordeaux called Lottie. They brought her over today and I could have kept her she's so lovable. If/when I figure out how to put photos on here I'll put a photo up of her.

Well that's it for today. Must go now as MWM (my wonderful man) is waiting to use the PC.